Laundry washing machine with automatic laundry products dispensing

ABSTRACT

A laundry washing machine with automatic laundry products dispensing comprises a plurality of tanks with each one containing one type of laundry product. Pumping means pump the required amount of laundry product into the tub at predetermined times during the wash cycle.

This application claims priority based on provisional 60/850,111 filedOct. 10, 2006

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to laundry washing machines butmore particularly to a laundry washing machine that dispenses laundryproducts over several washings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There exists a number of laundry washing machines that dispense laundryproducts automatically and in a given sequence, for example a laundrydetergent and bleach once the tub is filled and then a softening productlater on during the wash cycle. What none of the prior art shows is asystem that has tanks that can hold up laundry products for more thanone wash cycle, so a user has to refill the tanks before each new washcycle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a main advantage of this invention to provide for a washingmachine that has tanks for various laundry products capable ofcontaining products for several wash cycles.

It is another advantage of this invention to have a system forcontrolling the sequence, quantities and types of products required asper user selected options.

In order to do so, the invention comprises a plurality of tanks witheach one containing one type of laundry product. Pumping means pump therequired amount of laundry product into the tub at predetermined timesduring the wash cycle.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of thisinvention will become more readily apparent from the following detaileddescription of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown anddescribed, by way of examples. As will be realized, the invention iscapable of other and different embodiments, and its several details arecapable of modifications in various obvious respects, all withoutdeparting from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptionare to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 Front view of a washing machine.

FIG. 2 Front view of the panel.

FIGS. 3 a-d Front, side, front cutaway and top views, respectively, ofthe tanks.

FIGS. 4 a-c Front, side, and top views, respectively, of funnel conduitsleading to the tanks for front loading washing machine.

FIGS. 5 a-b Side and front views, respectively of the tanks in contextwith the funnel conduits leading to the tanks for both the front and toploading washing machine.

FIG. 6 Top view of the wasnhing machine showing the funnel conduitsgrouped together.

FIG. 7 Top view of the wasnhing machine showing an alternate embodimentwith the funnel conduits separated and in different corners.

FIG. 8 Top view of the wasnhing machine showing the tubes and the tanks.

FIG. 9 Front view of a front loading washing machine showing thelocation of the tanks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A laundry washing machine with automatic dispensers (10) is comprised ofa plurality of product tanks (12′, 12″, 12′″) with each one containingone type of laundry product. Pumping means (14′, 14″, 14′″) pump therequired amount of laundry product into a tub (16) at predeterminedtimes during the wash cycle.

Laundry products pumping means (14′, 14″, 14′″) are simple in design andare of the type known in the art. For excample pumping means (14′, 14″,14′″) used in the automotive industry for spraying windshield cleanercould be readily used.

Besides the standard buttons found on typical clothes washing machinessuch as water level button (1), water temperature button (2), type ofwashing button (5) there is a new type of button located on a washingmachine control panel (17) known as product dispensing button (18), withrelated monitoring lights (4), all controlled by an electronic PCBcontroller (not shown) which controls the type and amount of the variouslaundry products that need to be dispended in function of the wash load.Of course, in the case of a wasing machine having electronic controlsinstead of buttons, this function would be integrated as part of theavailable functions provided by the control panel. The user inputs thetype of loads (small, medium, large) on the water level button (1) and agiven amount of water fills the tub (16), this part is known in the art,what is new in the interrelation between the amount of water selectedand the amount of laudry product dispensed. Given that the pumping means(14′, 14″, 14′″) have a set dispensing volume per second, by simplyallowing the given one of the plurality of pumping means (14′, 14″,14′″) to run a given amount of seconds will reliably dispense a givenamount of laudry product. It is understood that the laundry detergentneeds to be in liquid form as opposed to granular form. What is alsorelatively new is that at the same time that the user selects its load,the type of washing is also selected, that is detergent;detergent/bleach; detergent/softener; detergent/bleach/softener.

Products tanks (12′, 12″, 12′″) are advantageously positioned in theempty corners (20′, 20′, 20′″) of conventioanl washing machines (22).Those corners (20, 20′, 20″, 20′″) are usually empty since the tub (16)is round. For front loading washing machines (22′), corners (20′, 20″,20′″) can also bu used except that the tanks (12′, 12″, 12′″) would belaid horizontally instead of vertically but would still be capable ofholding the same amount of laundry products. The tanks (12′, 12″, 12′″)can be grouped together or can be spaced apart, one per each of thecorners (20′, 20″, 20′″). A funnel conduit (21′, 21″, 21′″) leads alaundry product that is being poured into any given tank tank (12′, 12″,12′″).

Products tank (20′, 20″, 20′″) are mare of compounds designed towithstand the long term chemical effect that laundry products can haveand so are the hoses (24′, 24″, 24′″) and internal pump means components(not shown) that come in contact with the laundry products.

Sensors (19′, 19″, 19′″) in each tank (20′, 20″, 20′″) measures waterlevel and light indicators (26, 26′, 26″), one for each tank (20′, 20″,20′″), indicate when liquid level is low.

Each tank (20′, 20″, 20′″) has a removable cap (not shown) through whichrefilling is done. Since pumping means (14′, 14″, 14′″) will be emptyingthose tanks (20′, 20″, 20′″), it is obvious that a small hole (notshown) is made either in the cap (not shown) itself or some otherlocation on the tank (20′, 20″, 20′″) so that air can replace the liquidbeing pumped out.

1. A laundry washing machine with automatic dispensers comprising: aplurality of product tanks with each one containing one type of laundryproduct; pumping means pump the required amount of laundry product intoa tub at predetermined times during the wash cycle.